AMOR ETERNO: CUBA'S RELATIONS WITH THE EASTERN

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000774 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CCA AND WHA/CAR SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD INR/IAA FOR ROBERT CARHART ADDIS ABABA FOR ANTHONY FISHER E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2017 TAGS: ETRD ETTC PREL PINR PGOV CU BB XL SUBJECT: AMOR ETERNO: CUBA'S RELATIONS WITH THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN REF: A. BRIDGETOWN 739 ¶B. BRIDGETOWN 654 Classified By: CDA Mary Ellen T. Gilroy for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Cuban Foreign Minister, Felipe Perez Roque, received praise for his country from Caribbean governments last week at the Organization for Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Summit in Grenada on May 25, and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)-Cuba Summit, held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on May 29. While post was not present at either summit, communiques were dispatched that demonstrate the Eastern Caribbean's close relationship with Cuba. Eastern Caribbean governments also used the opportunity to publicly chide the United States for its handling of the Louis Carriles Posada case and its trade embargo with Cuba. Organization for Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Summit -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) Heads of government welcomed Cuba FM Roque at the 45th Meeting of the Authority of the Organization for Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) in Grenada on May 24 and 25. According to the summit communique, the heads of government expressed their gratitude for the ongoing show of friendship by the Cuban government, extended best wishes for the speedy recovery of Fidel Castro, and agreed to examine "practical responses" to Cuba's generosity. The communique did not define "practical responses," but the recent CARICOM-Cuba summit suggests continued support for Cuba in multilateral fora on issues such as the U.S.trade embargo and political sovereignty. As reported in the OECS summit communique, FM Roque reaffirmed "Cuba's strong commitment to building economic, social, and cultural ties with the OECS." The communique also spelled out in detail the economic support the region could expect from the Cuban government. The following is a breakdown of expected Cuban assistance, as reported in the summit communique: a. Operacion Milagro: Cuba will continue to perform eye surgeries, but patients will now have the operations conducted in their home island. One in every 58 OECS nationals was tested during the first phase of the project, and 9,799 received operations. b. HIV/AIDS Support: Twenty-five post graduate scholarships will be awarded to OECS nationals involved in work related to the fight against HIV/AIDS. c. Energy Saving Light Bulbs: Cuba has installed more than 700,000 energy saving light bulbs in homes across the OECS and has offered to provide new bulbs at cost price. d. Scholarships: Cuba is offering 130 scholarships to OECS nationals to study medicine for the 2007-08 academic year. A medical training facility is also being planned for the Eastern Caribbean to receive up to 400 students. e. Health Infrastructure: Cuba is assisting with the development, equipment, and staffing of diagnostic centers in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, an eyesight center in St. Lucia, and the reconstruction of the main hospital of Grenada. Second CARICOM-Cuba Ministerial Meeting -------------- ¶3. (U) The Second CARICOM-Cuba Ministerial Meeting took place on May 29 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, under the joint Chairmanship of Grenada's FM Elvin Nimrod and Cuban FM Felipe Perez Roque, who is the outgoing Chair of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations. According to the meeting's communiquie, CARICOM's Secretary General, Edwin Carrington, opened the Ministerial with an expression of gratitude to Cuba for its kinship, collaboration, and assistance to the Caribbean. Carrington also conveyed the strong sense of fraternity and solidarity that exists between CARICOM and Cuba, highlighting CARICOM's strong opposition to the U.S. trade embargo. Cuban FM Roque's presentation reiterated Cuba's commitment for enhanced cooperation with CARICOM on health, culture, social development, the environment, and drug trafficking. Roque also praised the Caribbean's commitment to regional integration and the Single Market Economy, describing the process as "an indication that it is possible to move forward in relations of a new nature in the interest of our peoples and nations." ¶4. (U) According to the communiquie, the participants reiterated their firm commitment to the United Nations Charter principles, referring specifically to "respect for sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of States, respect for territorial integrity, and the sovereign right of countries to freely determine its own political institutions and conditions of peace, stability and justice." The ministers then unanimously condemned the USG's "unilateral and extra-territorial imposition of coercive laws and measures contrary to United Nations Charter and urged the United States to immediately lift the economic, trade and financial embargo." In addition, ministers praised the inclusion of Haiti and St. Kitts and Nevis as new members of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) and expressed their commitment to strengthen and revitalize the NAM. (Note: With the addition of St. Kitts and Nevis, all Eastern Caribbean States are now NAM members. End Note.) ¶5. (C) St. Vincent and the Grenadines Foreign Minister, Sir Louis Straker, reportedly delivered the most public and pronounced criticism of U.S. policy toward Cuba at the CARICOM-Cuba summit. Straker condemned "the safe haven given to Louis Posada Carriles" and accused President Bush of hypocrisy with regard to the President's statement three years ago that countries that harbor terrorists are just as guilty as terrorists themselves. Straker also condemned the Unites States for its trade embargo with Cuba, which he said "has created tremendous hardship for the island's people." However, Straker's strong criticism of the United States appears to have remained in St. Vincent. The criticism did not surface during Straker's June 1 meeting with the DCM, only one week after the summit (ref A). Instead, Straker, who gave up his U.S. citizenship to run for office in St. Vincent, reiterated to the DCM his fondness for all things New York and his desire to reapply for U.S. citizenship upon retirement from his current post. Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) Support for and friendship with Cuba is nothing new in the Eastern Caribbean. This region of small island nations has a strong sense of solidarity with Cuba. As a result, the Eastern Caribbean countries are as fiercely protective of Cuba's sovereignty as they are of their own. While the region pays considerable lip service to democratic principles and human rights, such rhetoric never seems to motivate its policies toward Cuba. For example, the Eastern Caribbean countries regularly vote in support of pro-Cuba resolutions at the UN. Cuba's assistance programs are certainly welcomed in this region, which is struggling economically. However, it is the region's skewed view of what it means to take a principled stand with regard to Cuba that remains the main driving force behind Eastern Caribbean policies and rhetoric. GILROY